Album Review: For Those About To Pop! by The Yum Yums

Europe has long had a endless amount of fantastic Ramonescore pop punk acts. One I’ve been a fan of for years is Norway’s The Yum Yums who produce some of the most sugary sweet pop punk around. Earlier this year the long running band released their first album in seven years with the release of For Those About To Pop! When I realised it had been released, I couldn’t wait to listen but it has taken me far too long to get round to reviewing it. Here is that review.

The album begins with its title track, For Those About To Pop! If you’re new to The Yum Yums then this is a great introduction. It’s a song dedicated to the fans of Ramonescore pop punk that has a fantastic summer vibe. The vocals are of a higher pitch, similar to Intruder Blue from Masked Intruder, and are at times joined by some great harmonies. The second track is titled Baby Baby and starts with some crunching guitars before we move towards a higher tempo track. As you might expect from this style of music, it’s a real ear worm and you’ll be helping out with the backing in harmonies in no time at all. Unsurprisingly, a lot of songs on the album are about falling in love and relationships. It can get a bit samey but it’s kind of what you would expect from The Yum Yums. Bubblegum Baby continues the theme. The song has a throwback style with a hint of 60s pop rock and some harmonies that The Beach Boys might be proud of.

The fourth song is titled Lie To Me. The track is about telling white lies to make a person feel better about themselves and giving them an ego boost. I liked the originality of this song as I’ve never heard a band sing about this subject before but I’m sure it’s something a lot of people listening to it will relate to. Sometimes it is nice to be told little fibs that make you feel good. Up next is She’s Got Everything and it was one of the stand out songs on my first listen of For Those About To Pop! This is another hugely relatable song for anyone who’s ever been unlucky in life as it’s about meeting that special someone who, in your eyes, is perfect but not being able to be in a relationship with them. It’s one of the saddest song on the album but also one of the best. Let’s Go Crazy begins with the traditional “1-2-3-4” before launching into the song. Another more up tempo track, here The Yum Yums sing about letting go of your inhibitions and having some fun. This is a hugely fun and enjoyable song that’s great for letting off some steam and putting a big smile on your face. Can I Come Over sees the band jump back into the rock ‘n’ roll realm. It sounds like there’s also some cowbell which is interesting. The track is about feeling like an outsider and wanting to get into the party, again a really relatable song for anyone who’s felt like they’re on the outside looking in.

The second half of For Those About Top Pop sees the band break out a keyboard for the first time. Crush On You shows off a slightly different sound for The Yum Yums. The song is super simple in format but the keys do a magnificent job in giving the song a fresh feel. Crush On You is about simply that, having a crush on somebody and letting the person know. Summertime Pop is about spending your summer holidays listening to your favourite music and having a wonderful time. It feels like there is a bit of irony in the song. It plays like the sort of song you’d listen to on a summer road trip for some time away but it’s about staying home. It’s a faster song that stands out amongst some of the other songs on the album. The tempo is increased further on Say You’ll Be Mine and we’re really in Ramones territory here. There is a brilliant mix of three chord pop punk and Beach Boys here with some frankly incredibly harmonies and 60s rock ’n’ roll. Imagine The Queers but with less of a snarl. This was another favourite of mine on the album; I loved the energy that The Yum Yums have on this track. The eleventh song, Let’s Worry About Tomorrow, has a more serious and darker tone to anything we’ve heard previously. It’s about trying to live in the moment and not worrying about the future. This more serious sound came as a surprise and gave the band a different dimension after ten fun and breezy pop songs.

First Move sees the band revert back to their fun pop punk sound. I can fully see this song appearing on a romantic comedy flick at some point. It’s so infectious and catchy and I can really imagine the montage with the hot young stars of today being awkward around each other and trying to make the first move with each other. I like when songs create imagery. The penultimate song is titled The Kind Of Girl. This is classic Yum Yums. It’s about having the girl you think is perfect for you and living with the thought that someday she will find someone better and break your heart. It seems as if the band are saving their sadder tracks for the end of the album. It is a sad song but also another that’s probably so relatable for a lot of people, I’m sure we’ve all had moments of self doubt in relationships at some point in our lives. The fourteenth and final song is Can’t Get Enough Of Your Lovin’. Finishing the album on a happier note, this track is about being infatuated with your loved one. There’s a classic rock feel to the song that ensures you’ll be tapping your toes and bopping your head along to the track. The song has a fun big finale that guarantees the track and the album ends with a bang. I loved the placement of the song on the album. The entire album is super infectious and as soon as I finished listening to it I had to put it on again.

For Those About To Pop! is one of the best pop records I’ve heard in years. It’s not something for the hardcore punk rockers but if you love fun, (for the most part) happy songs that make you smile, get stuck in your head and have you doing your best boogie, then this is an album I really recommend you check out.

Stream and download For Those About To Pop! on Bandcamp here.

Like The Yum Yums on Facebook here.

This review was written by Colin Clark.